In Which Gymnophoria Happens
by Patch-insertnumbershere
Summary: It's all over, right? So why does it feel as though he's still out there? [Warning: Spoilers for Phantom Hourglass ending]


I felt like there weren't enough Linebeck/Phantom Hourglass stories, so, uh...here you go.

You might not wanna read this if you don't want end-game spoilers for Phantom Hourglass.

* * *

Well, _this_ had been a wild few months.

Wait, has it truly been "a few months" since he met Link and went island hopping in order to help Tetra? Has months gone by as that kid trudged through dungeons, nearly getting himself killed in whatever way during the process, and had to visit that Temple of the Ocean King countless of times? Were various areas around there really in danger for months?

But wait, were those places even real? Mercay Island? Molida Island? Cannon Island? Goron Island? The Isles? Didn't Oshus, who was the Ocean King all along, say something about him, Link, and Tetra returning to "their world"? Did those lands not exist but were rather placements by the Ocean King? Linebeck just couldn't seem to decide if everything that had happened truly happened.

One second, he watched Ciela flutter away from him after mumbling a "goodbye, Linebeck", and then he suddenly awoke on the deck of his beloved S.S. Linebeck, his body throbbing all over. As soon as he struggled to his feet, that was when he spotted Link and Tetra hopping onto another ship from _the Ghost Ship_.

Wait, so what he experienced with Link was real?

His body shivered harshly at the sight of that ominous vessel; however, he tried not to question why he reacted in such a manner and simply shook his head as a way to clear his mind. Linebeck opened his eyes once he knew he was fully awake, but then…

...where did it go?

That darn ship disappeared!

Nope, nope, nope, nope. Forget it. He wasn't going to deal with it right now.

Besides, he had a feeling in which he was physically unable to do much. He suddenly groaned on cue when the stinging sensation on his shoulders and back intensified. Shoot, he should get out of here and get some medicine.

But…

Linebeck could see Tetra turning to some unknown men, telling them something, her body language saying she was annoyed at something one of them said. Link, meanwhile, was digging through...something. Maybe he was fishing for something in his tunic pocket.

He wanted to, at least, say goodbye to Link-

"Ow!" He flinched, slapping a hand over his left shoulder. Good Goddesses, it burned! He needed to get himself checked...that's what seemed to be the more important, and obvious, objective.

He'll have to bid Link a "farewell 'till we meet again" in another way - that way being using his ship's horn, which seemed to have worked.

Although small due to the growing distance between them, he could see that blond boy staring at his ship, leaning his body over the railing of the boat he was aboard. He was uncertain if the boy could see his head poking out of the tiny ship's window, but still, a part of him hoped he did. He had _better_ see him. The outline of the large ship began to fade the further he drifted across the calm sea. Smaller and smaller did the pirate-owned vessel become. The ship turned into a simple circle, the circle turned into a speck, and then, finally...

...it vanished from his vision.

That was the last time Linebeck saw Link.

The captain pulled his head inside, once he was certain he couldn't see Link anymore. "We'll meet again someday..." he said out loud, "...I guess."

* * *

 ** _In Which Gymnophoria Happens_**

* * *

Linebeck chanted a small "ow" whenever he felt the intensity heightened, but still, he continued onward until he could find some inhabited land to drop anchor. In the meantime, he tried to distract himself from the pain by going over everything that happened before awaking once again, this time, with every bit of detail he recalled. Let's see...there was him getting trapped in the Temple of the Ocean King, meeting Link and Ciela…

Bell-

...Link having to go in that temple repeatedly, getting Leaf and Neri to come with them, running into Jolene (Linebeck shivered at that) on several occasions, visiting a few islands to gather the "Pure Metals" to make the Phantom Sword…

Bellu-

His body flinched.

Bellum.

Linebeck's breath hitched.

 _Bellum possessed him, and he forced him to attack Link._

His legs locked up, his shoulders drawing up tightly while his bare, bruised hands gripped the wheel just a tad harder.

Every thought, every sensation of needles intruding underneath his skin, his free will being stolen by Bellum...they were all coming back to him, bit by bit, and piece by piece. Flashbacks, flashbacks were interrupting everything Linebeck was attempting to do. They were doing something to his body.

He needed to stop the ship, he was slowly losing focus upon what he could see as he searched for any sign of land. Darn it, where was he?!

There! Some civilized land to the left of him!

Linebeck could've sworn the blood in his legs were draining in rapid pace; however, he soon find out that this was not the case, for once he pulled up to the dock of the island, he quickly felt his legs come back to life in order to drop anchor.

Feeling the need to suddenly be on stable ground, the captain staggered off his beloved ship and onto the deck. The familiar fresh air filled his nostrils as he inhaled to calm his unstable nerves. He wasn't certain where he was, but, he knew he was someplace safe.

As he ran his hands through his hair, he couldn't help but wonder, "Good Goddesses, what is goin' _on_ with me…?"

* * *

Huh, this place had a similar appearance as Windfall Island; however, this place lacked the stone which sat on top of a very high hill and gassy pigs wandering about. Perhaps this was some sort of "sister island". As he crossed the small field, avoiding the clucking cuccos who were occupied with some kids, Linebeck had the nagging feeling that he needed to be off his feet soon.

There was...some much needed alone time. Okay, so he had plenty of that since he's typically alone, but…

"Excuse me Mister!"

Linebeck spun around and saw three kids, two of them being much younger than Link, staring up at him. "Yeah?"

The smallest child, a girl holding a cucco in her arms, spoke up again, "Um, is your jacket blue?"

He blinked. "That's what colour it typically is."

The middle child, a boy, fidgeted. "It's blue in the back too, right?"

"Yes."  
"...oh…"

Linebeck paused. The three weren't telling him something, or rather they were afraid to. "What? What's wrong with my jacket?"

The eldest girl responded, "I think you're bleeding. Are you okay?"

Bleeding?

His legs tightened up, and Linebeck was certain his mouth turned as dry as a desert. How bad of an impact did Bellum leave on his body to leave blood? An image flashed through his mind, one which he couldn't exactly tell what it was; however, his body still reacted, sending a harsh shiver through him.

The oldest kid spoke up again, cocking a brow up at Linebeck, "Mister?"

He snapped out of his thoughts. His green eyes went back to the curious kids in front of him. It was at that time that he realized he had a hand under his chin. Linebeck didn't know what to do, so he turned and hurried off to wherever the hotel sat.

The three children just stared at Linebeck's retreating back, silent.

* * *

His poor jacket.

Linebeck couldn't place the jacket back on the inn bed. His beloved coat's backside was torn with old blood decorating it. On the shoulders, there was an additional tear on each side. Before he even had a chance to wonder if his vest and shirt were possibly damaged as well, the chilly air coming from his open window caressed his back, and the man felt certain parts of his skin being hit by it when they typically shouldn't.

He removed his vest to observe that first. Similar damage like his jacket suffered; although, there was more blood content on the turquoise piece. This was going to get worse, wasn't it? He sat the vest beside his jacket on the wooden chair at the tiny table before paying attention to his white shirt.

Begrudgingly, the captain removed his dear ascot and then unbuttoned his top. As he rose from his seat, he whipped off the attire and held it up to his eyes. Okay in the front, but the opposite side was obviously a different story.

Dull red all around the shirt's back greeted Linebeck, hidden under it were the exact tears found in the previous two items.

He didn't know what to think or feel about this sight, not even as his green eyes gazed over to the restroom.

Well, this was going to be difficult to check…

As he went by the dresser, he swiped the hand-mirror resting on it before entering the dark restroom. He turned the restroom lantern on, the place lightening up slowly. The mirror stared back at him from its position over the sink. Linebeck made his way over, shut his eyes, and then he turned his back towards the mirror. He lifted the hand mirror parallel to the mirror behind him and and inch or two over his bare shoulder.

…

…

...

He didn't open his eyes.

He knew there was going to be a messy sight in store for him; however, the twisting feeling he was getting in his gut told him he wasn't going to enjoy this, that he was going to have to see the physical mark left on his back thanks to Bellum-

They shot open before he had to mentally envision that creature.

Linebeck's eyes slowly glanced to the hand mirror's reflection, the action causing the twists in his stomach to worsen.

Claw-like marks were left on his shoulders, the markings deep enough to leave a dark red tinge. Perhaps they, along with the other cuts were severe enough to pierce the skin. Linebeck wasn't so certain about what he also found, but it appeared that he left behind bruises when the captain felt "needles" entering himself. At the very center of his back, _precisely_ where Bellum's body latched onto, was a big red patch of...was...was that blood or raw skin...or _both_?

Bellum did that.

The more he stared at the mess, the weaker Linebeck felt in his knees.

He threw the mirror to the side and darted out of the restroom, not bothering to see if the item broke after the toss.

What was wrong with him? Why was he behaving like this?

Whatever…

He should be fine once he took some medicine he bought real quick before coming to the inn. Linebeck threw his head back and guzzled the odd coloured potion in its entirety and then wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand.

...well? Now what?

Maybe he should hit the hay for the night…

The captain dug through his clothing bag for his pyjamas while one hand absentmindedly scratched at his hairy chest, that being a nervous tick he does by himself. Tossing them on, including cautiously slipping on the button top, he tread over to the window and stuck his head out. He had a perfect view of the dock, especially the section where his treasured steamboat calmly sat on the evening water. If there was something to be thankful for, it was that he had the old fella back with him after the whole "Bellum" incident.

"Well," he said to his ship, "goodnight. Let me rest fer tonight and then we'll leave. Okay?"

He obviously wasn't going to receive an answer from the recently revived ship, so Linebeck, instead crawled into bed. Goddess, he practically melted into the soft cushion mattress once he tossed the cover on himself. Upon instinct, he wrapped his arms around the end of the pillow he laid his head, shutting his eyes in the process. Should be drifting into dreamland any moment now…

…

...

...he couldn't sleep. _Great_.

Linebeck's brows knitted in frustration as he groaned out loud. He would've tried flopping onto his back, but what with those injuries, that was out of the question. Maybe he should just...think of stuff until he eventually falls asleep of boredom. Ah, perfect.

Oh, _there's_ a good topic!

"What in the holy name of Din did I experience!?" Linebeck began to ramble to himself, and rather loudly, "I was at the Temple of the Ocean King because I heard at th' tavern that there was _supposed_ treasure in there! _Supposed_! It's _always_ supposed, isn't it!

"Got trapped, then got saved by Link, ended up havin' t' take him across the seas so he could help his buddy, and, and... _how_?! How did all of this lead to that part of the world nearly being in danger of getting its life force sucked dry?! Where did that Ghost Ship even _come_ from?!"

He was sitting up in bed now, his heart racing a mile a minute.

"I-I mean, though, Link killed him, so everything's good. Everything's back to normal! He's with Tetra, and I'll be back on my ship and sailin' th' seas in no time at all! I've got nothin' to worry about! Nothin' to get nervous over!"

Something wasn't quite right.

He felt the urge to pull his knees to his chest, something which he did, ignoring the burning sensation raging on his back and shoulders. Linebeck's hands held tightly to his knees whilst the owner of said hands pulled his knees in more.

"But…" he breathed out, " _I could've killed him_. I was _this close_ t' killing Link because of Bellum…"

Linebeck noticed how dark the room was becoming and the sight caused his stomach to drop in an instant. It was giving him an uneasy feeling of something secretly watching him from the darkest corners of the tiny room. Certainly, it didn't help how the lantern's light hardly shone within the restroom area. It was some light but not enough for this worried phase he experienced. He turned his direction to the window, praying for the moon to be kind enough to shed some additional light.

The moon was on the jittery captain's side.

He couldn't stare at the beautiful moon for long, because gazing at the comforting view for too long shot shivers up his spine, forcing the man to turn straight. He continued on with his talk as an attempt to assure himself, "Link's all right, he's safe and out o' harm's way. The Ocean King thanked us, said Bellum is gone forever...but…" shakily, he questioned, "why does it feel like he isn't?"

Eyes, eyes from every which way, from the walls to the ceiling, were all on him. Something black and warm clasped itself over his covered, bundled feet. Another warm thing trailed to the middle of his chest, brushing it gently. Linebeck flinched and backed up until he cringed from the impact of his injured back touching the wall. His breathing worsened, loud enough for him to even hear the frantic sound he produced.

' _Get up, get up!_ ' His mind was yelling at him to do something instead of sitting there like a scared child. ' _There's nothing there!_ '

Silence.

The eyes continued staring blankly at him, and the strange things touching him remained in place; though, neither things seemed aggressive if Linebeck had to take a wild guess.

Something slithered past the small of his back and going higher. Linebeck's breathing paused.

What was that?

Was...that another part of those things touching him?

It stopped directly on the spot where Bellum's body latched.

* * *

The captain's scream was loud enough for the inn's owners to hear him all the way downstairs. In fact, one of the inn's owners heard him just as the young man began dozing off at the counter, startling him in an instant.

Once he recovered from the sudden noise, he said out loud, "What in blue blazes…? Sounded like that nervous-looking guy from earlier…"

* * *

 _He wasn't okay, he wasn't okay, he wasn't okay, he wasn't okay at_ ** _all_**.

Linebeck gasped for air whilst he forced himself to keep his body to remain in the same sitting position. He swear, that was only sweat coming down his face and nothing else. People sweat from their eyes all the time!

Four knocks came at the door, followed by one of the inn keeper's voice, "Sir? Sir, are you alright? I heard a scream coming from this room, and…"

As the man's voice trailed off, Linebeck nervously glanced around the room. The environment was lighter, the eyes and black things holding onto him vanished.

He...hallucinated?

"Blimey, I'm actin' like a little kid again…"

The inn owner spoke again, "Um, sir?"

Tiredly, Linebeck got out of bed and opened the door, meeting face-to-face with the same man from earlier. "Screaming?"

"Well, yes...screaming. I heard it coming from your room just now."  
"Why would _I_ , Captain Linebeck, be screaming?"  
"It sure sounded like your voice, sir... _and_ you're the only person renting a room at the moment. It didn't take long to narrow down whoever made that noise."

Ignoring the heat rising in his tear-streaked cheeks, Linebeck raised a brow in a questioning manner at him. "Even great people like me have nightmares, sir. _Maybe_ you heard me while I had one."

"Well, yeah...I guess that's true-"  
"Of course it is! Why would I lie about that?"

He blinked. "N-no…?" The man coughed into a closed fist, trying to change the subject, and then said, "Well, if you're doing better, I'll be taking my leave. I hope you have a more pleasant night."

Just as the man began to turn and head back towards the stairs, Linebeck quickly grabbed the left sleeve of his shirt and got his attention with ease. "Wait! I need something, now that you're here."

* * *

"Aaaaand...seven."

Seven lanterns were lit and scattered around the room, making the place near perfect in lighting. Problem solved! No more figments of his imagination trying to play _him_ for a fool.

Linebeck looked out the window to check on his dear ship. Yep, still beautiful and in one piece. Old fella was a sight for sore eyes…

He climbed into bed, now feeling comfortable doing so.

With a yawn, the captain closed his eyes and hugged the pillow loosely. Soon, Linebeck drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 _He struggled against the tugging at his wrists, but still, he continued lifting the Phantom Sword, just feet off the ground and away from the restrainer. He tossed his arm back, preparing to send the sword into much better hands than his own._

 _"LINK!" He threw the sword and watched it spiral through the air a few times before it was captured by Link, who somersaulted after taking hold of it. Thank Goddess, he caught it. Granted, he wasn't surprised. The kid was a pro at sword fighting, and he was the true wielder of the sword-_

 _What was that strange sound?_

 _His body jolted when the tentacle-like limbs wrap around the upper section of his arms and around his midsection. He was being pulled backwards even further with a much stronger force. "Whoa!" Something heavy is suddenly forced against his back, causing him to grunt. "Ugh…"_

 ** _It's breathing on him._**

 _Oh no._

 _No no no no no no no no no…_

 _"WHAT?!" That freaky eye got a hold of him! He struggled to turn around as a feeble attempt to fight him off. He spun, hoping the thing wasn't latched on anymore. He shouted, "Let go of me, monster!" Twisting and turning, again he tried getting him off but to no avail. He felt Link and Ciela staring at him in panic as he spun around once more._

 _[ Shh. Just relax… ]_

 _It sounded as though someone was trying to comfort him, whispering sweet nothings into his ears. What was he going to do?! A curtain of dark film covered his vision without warning that, in turn, struck panic through him. He tried walking; however, he simply couldn't. Frightened and uncertain about what was occurring, he could only stumble and scramble to his knees, frantic to get out of here. The weight upon him increased and forced him onto his hands. He was getting weaker by the second._

 _[ Almost there. ]_

 _Purple haze arose from the ground beneath him- no, wait...was...was this...emitting from his body? His heart was racing, and worryingly fast to boot, as something prickled against his back and shoulders. They sunk through his jacket, he gasped._

 _[ It'll only hurt at first, but you'll enjoy it before long. ]_

 _It all happened at once._

 _Needles, hundreds of them, pierced him, digging deep into his skin. A sharp explosion erupted within his mind that felt as though a bomb set off. He was blinded in a darkened purple thundercloud with electricity sparking. At that moment, as the pain shooting every direction of his body, he soon noticed he was screaming from the pain…_

 _...the pain in which Bellum was putting him through._

 _[ Here, let me take over for you, Linebeck. ]_

 _It hurt...oh_ ** _Goddesses_** _, it hurt! He felt as though he was being shredded from the back. The back of his jacket, vest, and shirt were torn away instantly. The needle-like prickles turned into claw scratches, digging deeper and harder into his skin._

 _[ There's a good lad. Let yourself go. ]_

 _"St-stop it…" he weakly demanded. Of course, Bellum refused to listen to his words._

 _His body lifted into the air by Bellum's appendages as the smog formed an armour around his body. The very last thing he saw once a sword formed in his hand was-_

 _His stomach dropped. " …"_

 _Darkness finally enveloped him._

* * *

His body stung everywhere because of it, but Linebeck knew he'd feel better after taking a hot bath. After all, baths usually eased the pain and soreness. He sighed, reclining against the end of the tub while sinking himself lower into the hot water.

"Can't believe I slept in late," he grumbled. Waking at almost one in the afternoon...unbelievable, that was, considering he had a _rude_ reminder in his sleep about what happened just hours prior.

The captain sat there in silence for a while.

Everything happened so fast, and it could've gone a whole lot worse; however, Link did it with the help of Ciela. _He_ could've killed Link though! One strike with that blade he was forced to swing at the kid!

He lifted his hands from the water to examine them.

Bruises on his palms. Were these made during the fight or when he clutched the steering wheel for dear life on the way here?

Linebeck didn't want to shut his eyes for long as he scrubbed himself, due to feeling as though he was being stared at by an unknown being; however, he also didn't want to look at the other scars left behind by Bellum for the second time today. It made him sick to his stomach whenever he spotted one of his markings.

Because he felt as though he wasn't completely clean, he stayed an additional twenty minutes in the bathtub, scrubbing at his sensitive skin with a sense of being contaminated somehow. The process of cleaning rougher stung, but he continued until he felt better.

"Bellum's gone for good," he told himself as he dried his hair off in front of the mirror with a towel, "I've got nothin' t' worry about, just like Link." His green eyes averted his reflection, of course, but then he took a quick peek at himself. One single red line crossed over his chest, and Linebeck knew that was an area which Bellum secured tightly. This, thankfully, wasn't an incision but simply a lighter bruise.

He sighed and ignored the slight shake near the end of it.

...he really _was_ a yellow bellied captain, wasn't he? Link rarely showed being scared or overwhelmed by what was happening while he... _he_ was the polar opposite!

He was so shaken up by Bellum's actions. Link was the one who was in the line of danger, not him! Why was his mind forcing him to become sickened by the physical memento on his body or scared to death from the chance in which Bellum survived magically and was coming to use his body again?

Linebeck shoved the towel into his face, groaning in annoyance. "Bloody cucco, stop gettin' afraid over this…"

* * *

But he couldn't stop feeling the sense of dread, even as he got dressed, grabbed his items, and then headed to this island's cafe for a quick breakfast. The entire time he was at the cafe, he could've sworn he felt somebody stare at him; however, every time he looked around the place, he didn't see a soul looking in his direction.

He left as soon as he could.

Linebeck felt a small smile coming to his face when he approached the docks and saw the S.S. Linebeck patiently waiting for him to come aboard. A part of him wondered if he had enough rest, but another part urged him to get out of here and not stay another day… the captain listened to the latter, of course. He inquired the inn owner hours ago in order to find out the name of this island was - this info would assist him as to where everything was from here.

He weighed anchor at three in the afternoon, preparing to do what he's been doing for years now: explore and find some treasure; although, he did this not as eagerly, for a lot of the time (especially when alone in the area), Linebeck felt eyes peering at him from behind which made him feel utterly vulnerable...

 _...and this made The Great Captain Linebeck uneasy._

* * *

 ** _End..._**


End file.
